*Op-ed by Filip Ejdus, speaker at the panel “The EU as a crisis management actor: CSDP in the neighbourhood” on the Belgrade Security Forum 2017.

In June 2016, the EU extended the mandate of the Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) until June 2018. While the fate of the mission after that date is still uncertain, the coming end of the current mandate provides an excellent opportunity to take stock of a decade long and over a billion € worth of EU investment in Kosovo’s rule of law.

Almost ten years since it was launched, the effectiveness of EULEX Kosovo has been highly questionable. Despite some limited achievements in the monitoring, mentoring and advising (MMA) of the Kosovar police, judiciary and customs, as well in supporting the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the most important objectives of the EULEX’s mandate have not been achieved. The mission has struggled to make a substantial improvement to the Kosovo’s rule of law, and it missed the opportunity to bring to justice the main perpetrators of war crimes and big corruption.

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